It Blooms
by SonnetST
Summary: Iris was sealed away over a century ago - that much she's sure is true. But who is this strange reploid in red, and why does there seem to be such an instant, electric connection between them? And why can neither of them remember? Iris in the Zero games, romance-heavy - Read and Review, please and thank you!
1. 001 :: 001

_A/N: Hey folks! This story has been a long time coming, Zero/Iris is secretly one of my very favorite pairings!  
Just a heads up, this will be updated on a "whenever" basis with a lot of mini-chapters instead of big, long ones. Check back often, you never know.  
Also, while the content isn't really above a K+ in terms of offensive content, keep in mind that some of the stuff will get a little heavy, especially compared to the games themselves. I'd consider them on level with a particularly emotional episode of _Doctor Who _or_ Scrubs _or something. I'm not writing anything that couldn't be shown on TV, if that helps any._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _part 001_

 _logon_

* * *

 _soundtrack: "slow down" - lights_

* * *

001 :: 001

* * *

"Are you afraid?" she asked.

He reached for her hand, "Not when I'm with you."

SYSTEMS ENGAGE. ALL FUNCTIONS NORMAL. POWER ONLINE.

With a hydraulic hiss, the containment pod slowly creaked open under centuries of age and dust.

Another reploid from over one hundred years ago, and so soon after discovering the first. Dr. Ciel couldn't believe it, although the robot beside her, as always, was unfazed.

Slowly, the reploid's vision came back online, and while it was difficult to see through the haze, she guessed that this was a workshop of some kind. Gears and plates lay caked with dust and grime, forgotten oil spills staining every surface. Where this place was, however, she had no clue.

Of the people standing before her, one was human, a short girl with soft ashe-blonde hair and kind, blue eyes.

The other was a reploid, a dangerous-looking combat model in jagged crimson and silver armor. A shock of golden hair lashed out beneath a pointed helmet that shaded a pair of dark eyes.

While her data banks reported that she had never met this reploid, something seemed… familiar about him. He reminded her of the smell of gun oil, the buzz of a sabre's first activation, a song about the sky. Was this a fragment of memory in her otherwise blank hard drive? Impossible. Must be a glitch.

Her auditory sensors soon began to lurch online, words like "ancient" and "reploid" and "discovery" reaching her.

"Iris," she barely managed to croak from a century-old voice box, "My name is Iris."

The conversation suddenly fell to silence.

"You can hear us? You're alright?" the girl asked.

Iris could only nod.

The reploid in red stepped forward and politely offered a hand to help her down, which she took gratefully.

"My- my memory is almost completely wiped," Iris stammered, "I remember my name, and I have a strange set of programs loaded, but aside from that, I have nothing else."

"Just like you, Zero," the human girl remarked with awe.

Zero. That was the reploid's name. Zero. A slash from a blade, a dash and a dive. Zero.

The girl continued, "I am Dr. Ciel, this is Zero. He awoke just like you from one of these pods not even a week ago. We are a part of an organization that helps reploids like you. Will you come with us? We can help you too."

Bleary and feeling the room about to spin, Iris nodded and let the pair of them lead her home.


	2. 001 :: 002

_soundtrack: "we swarm" - the glitch mob_

* * *

001 :: 002

* * *

It had been days since Iris had been rescued from the abandoned laboratory, although the Resistance had their hands more than full trying to keep up with Neo Arcadia's retaliations. It seemed they were getting bolder and bolder by the day, especially once they found out the legendary Maverick Hunter was fighting against them.

Ciel was frantic, frenetic in those days, trying desperately to complete her research all while operating as Mission Control for Zero's missions topside. Some mornings, Iris would find her asleep at her desk in the laboratory, passed out over her work. Whether those blotted pages she curled up on top of were stained with coffee or tears, Iris didn't dare ask. All she could do was her best to keep the girl together, even when the rest of the Resistance seemed to forget that Ciel was but a girl.

Iris was sweeping up in the Transerver room, keeping the portal clean of dust and grime was vital to it staying operational, when she heard the explosion.

"DR. CIEL!" Cervau cried, his visor askew as he raced in, " _DR. CIEL!_ Something's wrong with the Cyber Elves, there was a huge power surge and- well, we need you in the lab!"

Ciel stood, tugging off her headset. "On it! But Zero needs a Mission Control-"

"I can do it," Iris announced confidently.

Before anyone could protest, the reploid threw herself into the command seat, shoving the nearby cable into her data port.

With a jolt, she was connected to the program and network, the information uploads and downloads coursing through her systems.

"Dr. Ciel?" Zero cried, "Ciel, come in!"

"This is Mission Control, are you there? Come in, Zero."

"I- Iris?"

"Affirmative."

She didn't know where this clipped, professional tone came from, or why this connection to the servers felt so comfortable- so right. All Iris knew is that now she had a job to do, and she was going to do it right.

"We're getting high energy readings on the other side of this door," she reported, "Likely one of our mavericks. Make sure you have your Electric element chip loaded."

"Got it!"

"We'll hold radio silence until you break. Godspeed, Number One."

Something about this seemed familiar, something about this seemed right. The terms and etiquette of the radio were only a second language she forgot she knew.

Though the screens didn't show her too many details, she could get a scan of two energy signatures, one huge steady behemoth and one small one, steadily depleting.

Come on, Zero, she prayed to herself, You're a Maverick Hunter, you can do this!

Maverick Hunter? Where did that phrase come from?

Zero's energy hit half capacity, then little more than a third. The enemy, however, wasn't even scratched.

Iris considered calling Ciel, rallying the reinforcements, preparing for the worst. Her fingertips hovered over the holographic button when she noticed things beginning to turn.

In a flash and a flurry of sabre slices, followed by a powershot at exactly the precise point, the robot collapsed, sparks and twisted metal flying in all directions.

"HE DID IT!" she cried, jumping up from the operators' chair.

Zero snickered over the radio. Iris grew beet red, she didn't know the channel was still open!

"Of course I did," he panted heavily. "Of course I did."


	3. 001 :: 003

_A/N: This is the third and final chapter of my first update - hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

 _soundtrack: "i remember" - deadmau5 & kascade (vocal version)_

* * *

001 :: 003

* * *

"Zero, we're detecting some heavy-duty security on the passage below, but it looks like there might be a duct up above that's clear. Try and get up high and see if it leads anywhere."

"Roger that."

With every mission it got easier and easier for Iris to slip into her role of Mission Control. Plugging in, checking radio signal, receiving data, it all soon became second nature every time Ciel needed a mission.

Ciel, of course, loved this. Not only did it relieve her of those duties and let her research more important things, but she was also pleased that Iris finally found her calling and was helping the Resistance in the best way she could.

With a leap and a mid air dash, Zero clambered into the duct that sure enough hung directly over the patrolling Pantheon reploids. What was up there, however, wasn't a passage out.

The pillar gleamed in steel and flashing lights, dimmed only with spots of rust and the decaying ravages of time.

The structure in of itself was not strange, leftover charging stations or even abandoned transervers were not uncommon outside of the city, now that there were few reploids to use them any more. What was odd was that it wasn't either of those, but Zero knew exactly what. A massage. A message meant for someone else.

"Zero? You've gone dark. Come in, Zero, are you there?"

He ignored Iris on the comm, running his fingers reverently along its metallic surfaces. Before he could even decide whether or not to activate it, whether he could intrude on this old man's dying words, the projector sprung to life.

The hologram of a young man, rail-thin, all angles came into being, casting an eerie glow. Although he couldn't have been older than his mid-thirties, the man's wild hair was already a silvery gray, barely tamed and tied back. A hard, steely gaze seemed carved into his stormy eyes, not anger but something unnerving danced in their glare.

"Who- who are you?"

The image gave a single, mirthless laugh. "Hah! Who am I? I am the greatest mind of my generation - and beyond! I am the most brilliant scientist and roboticist the world has ever known! But to you, my dear Zero, my masterpiece and greatest creation, I am your father."

The screen continually flashed CONNECTION LOST. This was not good - not good!

Iris stabbed at one of the call buttons, "Ciel, come in Ciel! Can you hear me?"

"Iris, what's the matter?"

"I've lost all connection to Zero, I wasn't sure if the local broadcast was down."

"Well, I've got you five-by-five. Reset your terminal and I'll be right over."

"Father?"

The hologram smirked, "And here you thought Light was the only one who got so damn sentimental."

"W-wait, hang on! How are you responding to me? Aren't you a recording?"

The image laughed again, "Unlike my… colleague who could only manage to save a mere video, I was able to store a portion of my consciousness into these capsules. For a short period of time, I choose how and to whom I appear."

The terminal's screen flickered and faltered, but with a good whack, it came back online. The connection was weak, maybe even too weak. From what she could see, something was draining Zero's energy and fast.

"Zero, can you hear me?"

" _Ze...an...er...e…!_ "

"Iris, is that you?"

"Iris. Now that is a name I haven't heard for quite some time," the hologram mused.

"What? What do you know about her? Tell me!"

It shrugged, "About 100 years ago, some history professor stumbled upon one of these capsules. He said he was looking to create the next X, a powerful protector and warrior - and a gentle pacifist. Man was in over his head, but I gave it my best. Or at least, the best I could do incorporeally, of course. In the end, the two personalities rebelled, without the extensive testing it was a psychotic mess of violence and apologies. Eventually, the doctor had to split the code down the middle, dividing it between two reploids. Two halves of what should be whole."

"What does that have to do with Iris? Is she one of the halves?"

" _...ero, come… n…!_ "

"Hm, perhaps next time, it seems my power is running low. Or yours, rather. Bring me any reploid power cell you're not using and maybe then I can say." The hologram smirked. He knew exactly what he was asking.

"Tell me!"

"Prepping an emergency transfer."

Ciel leapt back from the transerver pad. "Iris, do you know what you're doing?" she cried.

"Has anyone ever told you that you may have anger issues?" the hologram asked. "Mind you, it's a feature, not a bug."

"At- at least tell me your name!"

"Me? I am Dr. Albert Wily, and don't you forget it, son of mine!"

"No idea!" Iris replied, "Three… two… one… engage!"

Wily laughed and laughed and laughed as the world faded away.

With a flash and a whir, the Transerver hummed with life, depositing Zero in its glow. Before the receiver could even power down, he'd already collapsed to a knee, holding a shoulder, panting breath.

Iris threw off the headset and tore the data cable from her arm. "Zero!"

"Hey," he replied weakly as she helped him up and threw his arm around her shoulders. "I have something crazy to tell you."

* * *

 _A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the first three chapters! Excited for more? Leave me a review, let me know what you think! More coming soon..._


	4. 001 :: 004

_soundtrack: "within" - daft punk_

* * *

001 :: 004

* * *

"'Two halves of what should be whole'," Iris repeated, pacing across her room.

Zero nodded, "That's what he said."

Unlike Iris' room, Zero's space was neat, orderly, pristine. Ciel's desk may have been little more than an archeological dig below layers of papers, datapads, and hastily-scrawled notes, but the only thing here was a dish of loose screws, for small repairs, she supposed. Thin, standard-issue sheets lay in a tangled, unmade mess on his bed, which certainly wasn't lined with a pile of stuffed animals given by Alouette, as Iris' was. No hydraulic and oil stains marred the various surfaces around the room the way the mess seemed to perpetually follow Cervau.

In fact, the only real indication that anyone lived here at all was the photo frame, almost all of its glass was gone and inside sat a picture of a trio of reploids posing for the camera. One, in blue, grinned happily, calmy. The one in the middle with a great X-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose smiled impishly, all teeth and joy. Zero, however, only gave the viewer his trademark cool glare, as if just waiting to get away from the lens.

At a loss, Iris finally sighed, flopping unceremoniously next to where he sat on the edge of her bed. "Wonder what that could mean. Did he say anything about you?"

"Yeah. He did."

Iris sat up, "What's wrong? What did he say?"

Zero stared at his hands. White. Pristine.

"He said he was my father."

"What?"

"I don't know. I don't- don't remember anything. It doesn't seem true, it doesn't seem right, but that being said, he has no reason to lie, either."

"Albert Wily. My databases could use an update, who was he? Do you know?"

"Evil. The truest definition of the word. He tried to destroy the world more than once."

"Oh. Oh wow."

"Yeah."

Iris barely hesitated a fraction of a second before shifting up to her knees and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

He reached up, more surprised than anything, and brushed her soft, synthetic skin with shaking fingertips.

His voice was barely a croak, "Everyone keeps saying I am - I was this hero, but if I was created by someone like that…"

"Hey. It's not like that and you know it," she gently replied, "Don't you see? It's the beauty of our- our condition. You and I don't have to be anything we don't want to be. We don't have programming or memory or people to tell us who we are. If you want to fight the good fight for the good of others- the good of the world, then you can be a hero. It doesn't matter who you were."

"Iris…"

"I believe in you, Zero. I believe you are a hero."

For a moment, he let them remain in place, entwined arms, comforting embrace, sitting there content in the whir and hum of their combined components. Something about this seemed right, something about this felt familiar.

But he broke away.

"I want to go back, to the places where they found us," he said, "There's something going on here, and I think we should look for clues."

"Do you really think we'll find something? I wouldn't remember it so much, but you saw the lab where I was."

Zero shook his head, "I was too busy watching Ciel's back. And there might be more in places we hadn't been."

"When did you think of going?"

"I asked for the day tomorrow. Come with me?"

"Always."

* * *

 _A/N: Hey folks! Thanks so much for everyone who read and reviewed last time! Just a heads-up, I will be doing an **Author Q &A **at the end of this section (book? sequence?) which is coming up real soon. If you'd like to have a question answered publicly at the end of Sequence One, make sure you preface is with "Q:" otherwise, I'll just answer in PM like always._

 _Also, if anyone's interested in a playlist of the soundtrack songs, I would be more than happy to throw one together on Youtube or something like that._


	5. 001 :: 005

_soundtrack: "the mother we share" - CHVRCHES_

* * *

001 :: 005

* * *

With a resounding _THUMP,_ the steel doors slammed shut behind her.

"Iris?" Zero cried, fists beating against them, but they didn't budge. " _IRIS?_ "

"I'm here, I'm okay!" she replied.

Iris flicked on her dark vision sensors, and traced her fingertips along the smooth metal walls, looking for a button, a switch, anything. But there was nothing, no way out.

"There's no button, is there anything on your side?"

"I've got a panel here with barely any power, I might be able to hack into it, but it could take a while."

"Good! See if there's any data on it, a year or author or something! I'm going to go explore."

"' _Good_ '? Wait- Iris-!"

"If I go dark for a bit, don't panic, I could be out of range," she added before dashing off.

The room was massive, like a great cavernous cathedral, its vaulted ceiling crisscrossed with a multitude of rusted steel beams and frayed wiring, worn thin with disuse. Along the walls' six sides were a series of consoles and controls, each one cracked and caked with a century of dust and grime. All except for one.

It was across from the only sleeping pod of the six in the center of the room that was even remotely intact. The sleeping pod where she first awoke.

Iris ran her fingertips along the console and its cracked plastic buttons, tracing a slash in its ancient stains. But what was this?

Something was still in one of its storage slots. With a touch, it leapt out of the spring-loaded mechanism.

A memory chip, old and battered, and marked with a symbol. The letter 'R' with a golden star in its counter, a red triangle behind it.

"Just like the submarine!" Iris gasped.

Mere days ago, she had seen this very same logo on the side of a rusted old submarine in Area [#], even then it seemed almost vaguely familiar.

What could possibly be on this? It was old, the kind of style that was going out of use even when she was being built. She and Zero were probably the only two robots that could even read it. Iris pocketed it for later, maybe she could ask Ciel or Cervau to analyze it or see if they recognized that symbol.

"What was that?" Zero's voice cracked through the radio.

"Nothing!" Iris replied.

No reason to mention it until it proved actually useful.

Finally, the double doors lurched open with a creak. On the other side, Zero carefully disconnected a trio of cables from the panel, and they retracted back into the back of his forearm.

"Well, I got a little info," he said, "Apparently this used to be some kind of military barrack, but who knows if it was still in use when you were- when you were-"

"Sealed away," Iris supplied.

"Yeah. I've also got a publishing date and a usage history, but the program is pretty generic, the only author listed is a security company that was pretty well-known a century ago. Did you find anything?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." She flicked off her darkvision oculars and stepped into the light. "Let's hope yours is better."

* * *

The lab where Ciel first found Zero wasn't really a lab at all, at least, not any more. All that remained was one crowded, dusty room that barely had room for the sleeping pod against the far wall and a rusted, dented steel table beside it.

"That picture in my room, it was left right here," he explained, tracing the impression in the red residue with a finger. "But I don't know who the other two reploids are. Or who left it there for me."

"You'd think someone like Dr. Albert Wily would leave some kind of calling card or something."

During her overnight updates, Iris downloaded the standard information database that most last-generation reploids were equipped with. They weren't too detailed about this centuries-old history, but from what she could glean, this Wily was just the kind of meglomaniac that would leave his mark wherever he went.

"You're right, there's nothing here."

There was something… odd about the dusty handprint on the controls of the sleeping pod. It didn't look human, not to her scans. It couldn't be-

"Zero, come here!" Iris cried, pulling him along by the wrist.

Carefully, she took his hand and fitted his fingers to the angle of the prints. A perfect match.

"Oh my god," she breathed, "It wasn't Dr. Wily who put you in here, or anyone else. It was _you_! You locked yourself away on purpose."

Zero snatched his hand back, "That's impossible."

"You said you found that picture of the three reploids right here on this table, what if you left it for yourself? To remember?"

"Why would I do that, though? It makes no sense! And it didn't help, anyhow."

"There has to be something else here, was this once a door?" Iris ran her fingers along the rubble trying to find a sign of something else.

"These locks," Zero remarked shaking his head at the readout from the front entrance, "There were levels upon levels of security in place. This lab was _never_ meant to be opened."

"What does all of this even mean?"

"It means- it means I was never meant to be found. It means I was supposed to simply rust away here."

A fist whipped out and slammed into the doorframe, sending corroded components exploding into the dust.

" _It's not fair_. This is not okay! Whatever plans they had for me back then, I want no part in it. No matter what Ciel or the rest of them say. I was supposed to die a hundred years ago. Who am I to argue with fate?"

"Usually you're the first," Iris remarked wryly, making her way across the tiny room. "Don't do this to yourself. You're here now, and that's what matters."

Just as she was about to reach up, to wind her arms gently around him, he stepped away.

"Come on. We're needed back at the base," he muttered.

* * *

Something was wrong and Iris could tell long before the Resistance base was even in sight. Her hailing signal, standard for reploids returning, went unanswered, not even an affirmative. Juane or Rouge should be manning the radio, what was going on?

It finally dawned on them both when they saw the base, and the sands clouding the area between.

A host of reploids, gold and blue, swarmed the entrance, their spear-tipped spider companions scurrying along the skin of the place.

The base. The Resistance base was under attack.

* * *

 _A/N: Cliffhanger - dun dun DUNNNN._

 _Don't forget, I'm doing a **public Q &A** session if anyone's interested, happening at the end of this section! If you'd like your question to be answered out here in the open, start your question with "Q:". Otherwise, I'll just answer in PM._

 _Don't forget to review! 'Tis me lifeblood and I always reply with gratitude and love!_


	6. 001 :: 006

_soundtrack: "save the world" - swedish house mafia_

* * *

001 :: 006

* * *

Iris slammed herself into the Mission Controller's seat as soon as the double doors shut behind her, wincing at her growing collection of cuts and bruises. Zero had gotten her inside, sure, but now he was trapped outside the base with hundreds, faced with maybe even thousands of reploids.

Her headset was all chatter, had she taught them nothing?

"Zero! Is that Zero?"

"Oh, thank the Light!"

"Hey, I want radio silence!" she growled, "There's no excuse for breaking protocol. Ciel, status?"

"Iris? You made it, too? We have seven out and three in. I just- I just don't know what to do. Things aren't looking good, I'm not sure how long we can hold them back," the girl replied, despair heavy in her young voice.

"Don't say that, we have Zero, we can do this. I want one of our boys on Dr. Ciel, she's likely the primary target of this entire attack, her knowledge and research is worth more than every one of those damn mavericks out there. As for the other two, I need you to get all the civilians as far away from the entrance is we can. There's nowhere to evacuate but we can keep them safe in here. That includes support staff, Rocinolle and Cerveau, don't even try to argue."

"What about you, you're right by the entrance." Ciel asked.

"Don't worry about me. Zero, come in, Zero!"

Nothing. Silence.

"Zero, come in! Your energy is dropping rapidly!"

No reply.

"Dammit, he's not listening!" Iris cried, slamming down her headset in a huff.

But suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

It felt almost unreal the way she stood and strode to the door, she didn't even think about drawing the R memory chip from her pocket, it seemed to leap to her fingers of their own accord.

Suddenly, Iris felt a tug at the hem of her dress.

"A-Are you going outside?" Alouette stammered before hiding her face in a stuffed animal.

Iris knelt down to her level. "I have to help Zero, Ally. He can't do everything on his own."

"B-But what if you don't come back? Like Milan and the others?"

"I'll come back," Iris ruffled the small reploid's hair, "But I can't do everything on my own either. Do you want to help Zero too? You'd be a big help, and a big hero."

Alouette wordlessly nodded.

"What I need you to do is find everyone who doesn't like fighting and bring them all back to your room for a tea party. Cervau, Rocinolle, Ciel, everyone." Alouette's room was far from the base's entrance, they should all be safe there. "Can you do that for me?"

Again, the girl only nodded.

"Good! Then I'll see you in a little bit. Have fun!"

The reploid skipped away, merrily singing a nonsense tune as Iris's cheery smile failed and faded. She wasn't built for combat, and in truth she wasn't ready for it.

Without a word, she slipped the old, battered Repliforce chip into the data port on the back of her neck and stepped outside the doors.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you so much for reading, don't forget to review!_


	7. 001 :: 007

_A/N: Hey guys! Hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day! Perfect timing to post this chapter, no? Be sure you're listening in to this chapter's soundtrack, especially the lyrics, it really... adds to it._

* * *

 _soundtrack: islands - the xx_

* * *

"Iris!" someone called, "IRIS!"

Slowly, things began to shift into focus. A white-tiled ceiling. A thin, white bed with thinner green sheets. Medbay.

"Iris, can you hear me?"

"Zero." She croaked.

She could barely feel his hand in hers, even when he squeezed it tightly. Lines of concern were drawn deep over his face, it was possibly the only time she really remembered that he was actually over a hundred years old. But for all his worry, Zero looked angry. Very, truly angry.

"What were you _thinking_?"

"Wh-what?"

"You're not a combat reploid, what were you doing outside the base like that? You almost didn't make it back!"

Iris shrugged and soon found that that was very painful. "They were getting close. I had to do something."

"'Something'? That 'something' nearly got you killed!"

"You go out and fight every day, and every day I wonder if you'll ever come home in one piece. Why are you so angry that I tried to do the same?"

"Because- because-" he gripped her shoulders forcefully, "Because I'm not strong enough!"

"Strong? Is that it? This is some- some _jealousy_ thing? Are you mad because you're not the only one winning the glory today, because- "

"I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO LOSE YOU!"

He didn't look away, he didn't spare her the shame and grief and fury in his glittering green eyes.

"I don't know who I am if I can't protect you. You're- you're you. And I care about you. I'm not angry that you went out to fight or decided to protect the base or the non-combats inside. I'm only upset that you almost didn't survive, that your life is so worthless that all you can do is throw it away."

"You think that's what I was doing?" she replied lowly, "I did what I had to, not because I wanted to. And I knew I would make it, I had something to come back to."

Before he could protest, she pressed her her lips to his, tasting his worry, his doubt, the whirr and hum of his surprised components.

"Iris, I- I don't understand."

As if it could answer his questions, she kissed him again, only a quick peck, only a moment of ecstasy.

"I know you're angry, but I'm here, I'm alive. We can work through this together, we can fight together. You don't have to stand alone any more."

"You- You want to _fight_?"

"We can be heroes. Together."

Zero didn't know what to say, his emerald-green eyes scanning hers shiftily. Finally, he settled on pressing his lips to her forehead gently.

"You should sleep. We'll talk again tomorrow."

The next morning Rocinolle thankfully gave her the all-clear, barring that she keep away from any action for the next few days, her fragile parts weren't exactly up to scratch yet.

It didn't help that being such an old model, finding replacement pieces was all but impossible. Whole sections of her frame were patchworks of welded metal scraps, wires and cables that couldn't be fixed were replaced with whatever Cerveau could find. Chillingly enough, more than a few of her internals were taken from fallen Pantheons and mavericks.

First things being first, Iris needed to talk with Zero, now that he had a chance to calm down and she wasn't confined to a hospital bed.

Without even knocking, the door to his room slid aside like the empty ones, no lock, no passcode, no requests to enter.

If his room was anything but empty and devoid of life before, the place was now barren, hollow. The bed wasn't messily made up with the thin, standard-issue sheets, the dish of loose screws was nowhere to be found. The picture of the trio of grinning reploids was gone.

The only thing that remained was a datapad left on the very center of the desk. All it said was:

 _I'm sorry  
But I have to go._

* * *

 _A/N: Okay, I lied, it's pretty much a verbal kick in the teeth. Hate me? Leave a Review!_


	8. 002 :: 001

_soundtrack: "prayer in c (robin schulz remix)" - lilly wood & the prick and robin schulz_

* * *

002 :: 001

* * *

Her thermal sensors picked up waves of heat radiating off the shifting panorama of dust and sand. Sand, but no reploids within range.

She had to move quickly or risk sand buildup in her components, which could be a death sentence to a centuries-old reploid with no replacement parts to speak of.

Leaning into dash after dash, she traced her way around dangerous sand pits, swirling torrents of dust, ducking below humongous stones tossed into the air by the howling wind.

"Iris, I just got a ping," Roger announced in her helmet, "I see one reploid in the distance, on low energy, with a serial number I don't recognize, less than a quarter of a klick, south-southwest."

One reploid? Did they get separated? Was there only one survivor? Unless- no, it couldn't be.

"Does the designation 'DWN' mean anything to you?"

She hurried, racing double-time to where the ping came from, a weak distress signal from the android she once knew.

Zero. It was Zero.

He looked battered and beaten by the storm, a multitude of tiny scratches described his face in red, his hair was a tangled mess of grime and neglect. Over his shoulders, he had thrown a tattered scrap of cloth, likely the only reason why his parts weren't corroded and caked with sand. What frightened Iris the most, however, were his eyes. They were ink-dark and distant, as if he was looking past the world without seeing.

That is, until he looked up. Until he saw her.

"Iris," the low and husky voice called over the tempest, "IRIS."

But she didn't respond. She only stood, stock still, a statue reigning over the torrent of dust, daring all to despair.

"What are you even doing here?"

Silence.

"I left- I left so I could protect you. So you wouldn't have to fight like this," Zero stammered. "Come on, Iris, just talk to me!"

That's when she noticed in the gathering haze, two pantheon reploids rose from the glistening sand on either side of him.

Before he could react, without a second thought, she raised her battered buster arm and fired twice, dropping them both.

Zero whipped around. How had he not noticed them?

With his back turned, Iris leaned forward and dashed straight past him.

A major energy source was beginning to activate not far from here and there was no time to waste.

* * *

 _A/N: Hell hath no fury, eh? Leave a review!_


	9. 002 :: 002

_soundtrack: strobe - deadmau5_

* * *

He collapsed on the transerver pad, falling to a shuddering knee. But she didn't move. Didn't pull him up and lean him against her shoulder like she had a hundred times before. Iris barely even spared him a passing glance before she stalked off to find Ciel. Her real mission was to protect the scientist and make sure she wasn't attacked for her research once again, not to look after this renegade android who abandoned them all in their time of need.

It was Cerveau who hauled Zero up to his feet.

"What… happened?" he stammered, slinging an arm around the reploid's reed-thin shoulders.

"A lot, my friend, but I wouldn't try and ask Iris. I doubt she would tell you even if she could speak," Cervau remarked wryly. "Come on, let's get you patched up.

If anything, the workshop had become even more cluttered since Zero left, if that was at all possible. It took Cervau nearly ten minutes of shuffling through oil-stained papers and a scattered mess of screws and springs and wires to find some leftover life energy capsules which he tossed to the Maverick Hunter.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"So how were the wilds, then? See anything interesting?"

"I went to the city. Couldn't stay long, of course, security is everywhere. It's getting bad out there."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. One of the first things I saw was a couple people tear apart a pantheon for its energy core. Do you know how much those things store? Barely enough to charge a phone. Something's got to give."

"Well, Ciel's getting close to completing her research, maybe that will fix things."

"One can only hope."

With a momentary grumble, Zero plugged the crystal into the port at his back, cursing the new models that had their slots somewhere convenient. Barely a fraction of a second passed before he felt the electric jolt of energy coursing through his systems, the aches and pains of battle, of the past year mercifully falling away.

That's when Cervau saw the battered handle of the sabre still clutched in Zero's trembling grip.

"What- what did you _do_ to it?" he stammered, tearing it from the android's hand. "This is an antique! A 21st century original!"

Zero smirked to himself listening the ranting and raving. He'd honestly missed this, hanging around the Resistance base, just hearing everyone talk. In the gathering hall, Ciel would try and explain her research to a curious Allouette, Juane and Rogue would harmonize over a jaunty tune, Rocinolle would struggle not to talk about work at the table, and the others would share stories of their battles and the places they'd come from.

"So what happened to Iris?" he asked.

"Oh, that? Well, umm," Cervau rubbed at his temples, "I'm sorry, it's hard to remember sometimes. She umm, she lost her voice, the components were just bad in her vocoder. So we had to cover it all up to avoid more damage."

"Her voice is _gone_? Completely?"

"I'm afraid so."

"She's an older model, does she have some sort of messaging system? A binary receiver?"

"I don't… think-"

"But she can understand you? She can communicate?"

"Zero," Cervau could barely look up from the floor, "Iris barely interacts with any of us. She guards Ciel's door day and night, but even they have limited contact. She gets her missions beamed in from Elpizo and just… goes."

"Elpizo, he's the new commander, right?"

"We picked him up in a raid on the city, he helped us rebuild the whole base, it's amazing the stuff he's done for us."

"Yeah, 'amazing'."

Zero jumped down from the table with a sigh, tucking his sabre back into its holster. "Thank you for the energy, I appreciate it. But I suppose it's time I go. Don't want Ciel seeing me and think I'm staying, you know?"

"Well, I suppose that's up to you, then. I don't think anyone here will really stop you," Cervau shrugged, walking him to the door. "All I can say is that I wish you wouldn't, my friend."

"If only I could. There are a few more things I need to take care of, first."

Neither one of them noticed the Reploid guarding the exit.

With a hum, the thin, violet sabre in Iris' hand activated.

* * *

 _A/N: dun dun DUNNN. Such angst. Wow. Leave a review!_


End file.
